Aftermath
by Matt Jerome Marshall
Summary: Delphine checks in on Cosima after her seizure. One-shot set after season 2 episode 8.


**Author's note** **: I apologize for any mistakes there might be, the story hasn't been review by a beta so I might have missed some when checking it. I'm always trying to improve my writing so reviews are always welcome.**

Delphine slid the key in the lock and twisted gently, hearing it click as the door became ajar. She rested her forehead against the wooden panel and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her erratic breathing. She was afraid to go in, terrified by the idea of what she might find on the other side of the door. Cosima had never had such a serious crisis before and the unexpected seizure had highlighted just how rapidly the illness was proceeding. Professor Duncan and Scott had brought her back from the hospital just a few hours before and fortunately, there had been no other incidents. She pushed the door open with shaking hands. The apartment was bathed in dim light but she could clearly make out Cosima lying down on the couch, branched to the oxygen tank that would help her breathe in the aftermath of an attack. She was asleep with an open book lying forgotten on her chest as if she had fallen asleep whilst reading it and a peaceful expression than contrasted with the pain portrayed earlier that day. DYAD's new CEO sat knelt by the couch, touching the back of her hand to Cosima's cheek in a tender gesture as she wiped away a speck of blood that had clung to the clone's skin. The woman's eyes fluttered open. It took a moment for Cosima to put Delphine into focus.

"I'm sorry _ma chérie_ , I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's fine don't worry. What happened?"

"Professor Duncan and Scott brought you back from the hospital. You scared me."

They linked hands, entwining their fingers. Cosima's was still cold to the touch and the blonde brought it to her lips.

"It scared me too."

Cosima had had crisis before, sudden fits of cough that bend her in two and left her bloodied and gasping for breath, but she had never had one quite so violent and she had most definitely never experienced seizures before. She tried to recall if Katja Obinger had mentioned such symptoms over the brief period of time they had come into contact through Beth, but nothing surfaced in her mind. She sighed, frustrated and worried.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. And these nose tubes are incredibly sexy."

Delphine chuckled.

"Yeah, they are."

They shared a gentle kiss and Delphine was overcome with the notion that Cosima's life hung by a thread. With how quickly the illness progressed time was running short to find a cure. DYAD's teams were researching therapies but the progress was painfully slow and without the original genome, finding a cure was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Katja Obinger had had little to live when she had been shot and other clones infected by the disease had met their demise in relatively quick periods of time after first developing the symptoms. Cosima had show remarkable stamina but even she was succumbing and it would inexorably lead to her death. The thought made Delphine's eyes prick with unshed tears and her throat tighten painfully. She couldn't envision a life without the quirky clone, Cosima had become part of her life and loosing her would leave a painful void impossible to fill. Professor Duncan's arrival changed things of course, but the dynamics within DYAD were complicated and Delphine had no doubt that eventually, they would pose an obstacle to finding a cure.

"We'll find a cure. I promise."

"I know. We have professor Duncan now."

"Yes, we do."

Hope bred eternal misery but it was all they could cling to. They didn't have the resources to come up with a treatment on their own which made Professor Duncan essential. Delphine just hoped Rachel and Topside wouldn't get in the way and destroy the fragile alliance between them and the clone's original creator. It would take diplomacy and the right amount of intelligence to ensure everything went smoothly but even then the danger remained. Duncan, Rachel and neolution had too much history to be solid allies and all one could to was patch up the cracks as best as possible and hope for the best- or take precautions for when the situation would blow up and engulf all bystanders. Delphine toyed with a dreadlock, brushing Cosima's features with her gaze in the search for signs of pain or stray residues of blood. She found none. She wondered if the state of constant fear she now lived in would ever ease. When Leekie had given her the role of monitor, she had known it was going to be complicated role but she hadn't expected to have to worry about DYAD's threats, Rachel's politics and above all, to have to worry every time Cosima coughed or appeared just a little too pale.

"I'm on your side you know? I just want what's best for you."

"I know but you're also a monitor and that makes things complicated. Sometimes I can't tell if you're following some DYAD agenda or if you're actually helping us."

Delphine's smile was a blend of bitterness and sadness. She was aware of the confusion her role created, it was difficult for her too to keep a balance between the two.

"I would never hurt you."

"I know."

She wished Cosima would let her do her thing without intervening. Within DYAD she held some power, she could ensure Cosima and the others were protected and safe much more efficiently than if she had been an outsider, but this only worked if Cosima stayed out of it and trusted her. Until now, it hadn't always been the case.

"Delphine? Can you stay tonight?"

"Of course _ma chérie_."

Cosima smiled and shifted position, allowing for Delphine to sit down next to her before resting her head on the blonde woman's lap. The petite brunette couldn't help but sigh with content as her girlfriend ran her fingers through her dreadlocks in a gentle, soothing motion. Delphine's alliances might be blurred and unclear at times, but she remained the only person that could make Cosima feel safe.

"You should rest Cosima."

"You promise you're staying?"

"Yes."

Cosima closed her eyes and focused on Delphine's soothing touch, on the regularity of her breathing pattern, on the steady rhythm of her heart and she felt herself slip into Morpheus's arms as tiredness and relaxation washed over her. For a long time after the dreadlocked woman fell asleep Delphine watched over her, her heart clenching with worry at every uneven breath, every quiet whimper that escape her girlfriend's lips and it was only when the woman quietened down and steadied her breathing that she allowed herself to rest too. They had survived another day.


End file.
